Pale Nightmare
by VampireQueenAkasha
Summary: Sequel to Iridescent: Lars and the Off-Colors visit a colony in hopes of repairing their damaged Nova Thrusters. In the middle of the night they are under attack by a gem claiming to be White Diamond. - A.U. -


**Pale Nightmare**

 **Author's Note** : Sequel to Iridescent. In spite of seeing the new episodes, I wasn't exactly a fan of what had been revealed, so I may still do my Scary!White series how I want or just omit some of the canon parts. In this particular fic, Lars and the Off-Colors visit a colony to refuel and the planet is attacked in the middle of the night by a new enemy who claims they are White Diamond.

This is still obviously an AU.

" _You learned to run from what you feel, and that's why you have nightmares. To deny is to invite madness. To accept is to control."_

― Megan Chance, The Spiritualist

" _Nightmares exist outside of logic, and there's little fun to be had in explanations; they're antithetical to the poetry of fear."_

― Stephen King

 **By: VampireQueenAkasha**

~O~

The Off-Colors were resuming their duties on board the Sun Incinerator. Lars had been quite eager to reach the colony where they could have the Nova Thrusters repaired. The nearest colony was one of Yellow Diamond's asteroid mines, but they had barely managed to escape.

Rhodonite had found another colony far from the eyes of the Diamonds. "Captain Lars, I think I found a place!"

Lars smiled. "Really? Where is it?"

"It's not far," Rhodonite explained, "It's a rest colony called Paradise Way. Occupied by gem pirates, but we should be safe there."

Lars chuckled. "Pirates, huh? Well, we should fit right in."

The Rutile Twins smiled at one another. Oh, this was certainly going to be fun. Just like their visit to that gem Jambourie.

Once they continued their path through space, Lars decided to take a little walk below where he found Fluorite busy at work monitoring the engines. He gave her a small smile before stepping toward a chest filled with various items Steven had brought with him from Earth.

One was a photo of Sadie and the other Cool Kids. Lars chuckled, lightly running a finger across the image of Sadie before the power suddenly went out in the ship.

Jumping up with surprise, he whirled, shocked to find Fluorite gone from where she was. "Fluorite?" he called, "Hey, what happened? Did we stall again?"

No answer. Lars dropped the photo into the chest and made his way back up the stairs. He was shocked to find the gems gone and the ship in pitch darkness. Lars gave a frightened gasp, looking around rapidly for signs of them.

"Rhodonite?" he cried, "Padparadscha? Twins?"

Suddenly, the entire glass window lit up with white flames and a haunting, terrible scream. Lars' eyes widened and he staggered back from them. The fire had completely blotted out the view of space and a set of white, ghostly eyes stared back at him from within.

Lars yelped and fell flat on his backside.

 _"Where are you going, Lars?"_ the familiar voice of White Diamond rumbled out of the fire. _"To Earth? With these...misbegotten slaves? Do you believe they will welcome you with open arms? But give them hope if you must. Give them courage. I will take that from you first."_

"H-How are you here?!" Lars cried, rubbing his eyes once.

A cold chuckle. _"I can see everything through the vastness of the cosmos. You can't hide from me,"_ White's disembodied voice filled the ship. Her voice became light with delight. _"I have a little toy for you to play with. Since you're well on your way to that broken colony."_

Lars wasn't sure what the voice meant, but he was snapped out of the illusion when he felt two hands on his shoulders. He whirled and noticed it was Rhodonite. She looked worried by his alarmed stare and raised her first set of hands to her face.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Lars blinked, looked around for a few moments before he breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, Rhodonite." he assured her. "Are we almost at Paradise Way?"

The Rutile Twins looked back at him. "Right ahead, Captain Lars." Left Rutile told him.

Lars looked up and spotted the sight of a distant planet; littered with welcoming lights, various ships and signs. It was sight that relieved him. Their Nova Thrusters could be fixed there, without a doubt and they could finally head to Earth.

Still, he couldn't stop thinking about why he'd seen White Diamond, but it was best not to tell the Off-Colors about it.

Meanwhile, White calmly sat in her great throne, watching the monitors of Homeworld before her.

A single long, black nail raked down the side of her arm rest before she rose. She approached a low coffin-like chamber and leaned down, stroking a hand over it. A shape writhed within it, voice muffled by the thick metal.

A synthetic chuckle escaped her lips. "Ah, my unyielding creation," she sighed. "Broken and evolved to my needs."

Leaning closer, she whispered to the door; her voice was unsettling to two other gems standing there watching.

"Rise, if you would," White whispered, "I want Lars brought to me. Shatter the rest and stain that domain of the lost and wretched in their very essence."

A pair of bright red eyes opened and White smiled with pleasure. That cold, malicious laugh she uttered filled the dark chamber.

O

Paradise Way was filled with life.

Lars and the Off-Colors were amazed by what welcomed them; stands and markets of various gems, alien life and bright lights. The Off-Colors also seemed comfortable among everyone. Lars was happy to see that too. No one was staring at them. No one was judging them.

"Wow, this is great!" Rhodonite said, with a smile, "And you know what's the best part?"

"No one's staring at us." Right Rutile finished for her, brightening.

Lars looked up at Fluorite, who carefully made her way through the crowds of gems and aliens. "Hey, do you want to take the others to look around while I find someone to fix the Nova Thrusters?"

"Of course." Fluorite replied, in that slow, relaxed drawl.

The Off-Colors departed through the crowds while Lars searched the repair shops. He found a large, tall grey gem yelling at a few others about repairs, so perhaps this was someone to talk to. He approached her and noticed she had markings all along her arms and neck. Her eyes were silvery and she had no hair on her head.

"Hey," Lars greeted.

The gem turned and she gave a few sniffles, scrutinizing him. Lars realized how she came up to his shoulders and wore a sign written in Gem. "Uh..." he said, "I'm Lars."

"Basalt." the gem answered, wiping her arms on an apron she was wearing. "What can I do for you?"

"Cool," Lars replied, "Hey, I was looking to repair my ship. Are you the gem to go to for that?"

"Yeah," Basalt studied him curiously, but made no question of his odd appearance, "Let's take a look at her and see what we can do."

Lars brightened. "Awesome."

The two made their way to the Sun Incinerator and Basalt whistled, impressed by the sight of it. She ran a hand across one of the wings before smiling at Lars.

"Ahh, got your hands on a Sun Incinterator, huh?" she said. "I'm going to say this one in particular was the same one stationed on Klavius 7." When she noticed his odd look, she smirked. "We're all pirates here, kid. News from the criminal underworld gets here pretty fast."

Lars laughed. "Well, that's what happens when they leave ships just lying around."

Basalt joined in on his laugh. "Haha, well, you're right. Amazing what they just leave around for us to take." she said, amused.

"So..." Lars began, interested, "Are all the gems here pirates?"

Basalt made her way into the ship with him following. "I guess it's your first time on Paradise Way, huh?"

"Something like that."

"Hm." Basalt didn't push the issue. "Well, let's... Oh, what in the name of the Stars did you do to these Nova Thrusters?!"

Lars winced at the startled look on Basalt's face when she arrived at the base of the ship. "Yeah, that's what needs fixed..."

Basalt groaned, rolled her eyes and stuck her head out of the ship. She yelled down to a few gems in the distance.

"Hey! Topaz! Clear my schedule for the day! This one's gonna take a while!"

"Okay!"

Basalt shook her head with dismay. "Stars, I hate it when bad things happen to pretty ships..."

O

"Captain's log. Star date, uh... Monday? Paradise Way is pretty cool." Lars had been working on his logs in the ship that evening. "Getting home is taking forever, but we're safe for now. The Nova Thrusters are being worked on."

The Rutile Twins were wearing elaborate necklaces and Fluorite had gotten a few pieces of jewelry put in her great mane of hair. Padparadscha was quietly humming, holding what looked like a music box in her hand. Lars tilted his head curiously.

"Hey, what's that?" he asked.

"I predict it would be a gift given to me by a Ruby," she explained, "A song once sung by old gems."

Lars furrowed his brow, not sure what that meant. He heard a sound of a clatter, followed by an indignant curse from Basalt outside. He sighed, looked at the others who watched him curiously. They clearly relied on him for an answer.

"She says it could be a day or two," Lars explained.

The gems sighed collectively.

"Well, that's not so bad," Left Rutile said, with a hopeful smile, "This is a great place to rest until the ship gets back up and running."

Lars nodded. "Good. We all need it."

Later that night, the Off-Colors were resting and Lars had fallen asleep beside Fluorite. He could faintly make out the sounds of insects humming outside of the ship. It was strange as he didn't expect Paradise Way to have any kind of Earth-like life. But it was relaxing and reminded him of home a bit.

Through the night sky, a fiery orb screamed overhead before crashing into the distant forest. The sound resonated throughout the colony, drawing gems and aliens alike from their ships and tents to investigate the source.

"What was that?" a Topaz asked.

An alien beside her shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know..."

Lars and the Off-Colors had been awoken as well, drawn from their ship to investigate. Basalt was arguing with two other gems before she noticed them.

"Hey, what's going on?" Lars asked her.

Basalt sighed, throwing her hands in the air. "No one knows. They're telling me someone fired off the defense cannons again, but...nobody tells me anything."

Suddenly, there was a loud, almost piercing roar and everyone looked up. To their horror, the enormous shape of a cannon that had been torn from its mount was sailing through the air.

"Run! RUN!" several voices screamed.

The cannon crashed to the ground as gems and aliens scattered to avoid it. Once the dust settled, they gathered around again, shocked and confused.

"That's the East Defense Cannon!" Basalt gasped.

"Okay, what's going on?" Lars demanded.

Basalt looked at three other gems. "We need to get Crazy Lace," she said, "Tell her what's happening! Get to the cannons!"

Rhodonite began to look uneasy. "Lars, what do we do?" she asked, looking down at him.

Lars thought about it for a moment. He considered the safety of the pirate gems and aliens before turning his attention to Basalt.

"What do you need us to do?" he asked.

O

Crazy Lace Agate was the most decorated gem Lars had ever seen.

Thick, tall and muscular; Crazy Lace was no doubt the leader of the colony of pirates. She had blue-white skin, intricate tattoos on her forearms and a cloak of glimmering silver. Her hair looked to be braided with gold bands.

She really looked like a pirate.

Nearby were three mounted cannons and gems posted at their positions. Lars and the Off-Colors looked around warily at the sight. Rhodonite picked up Padparadscha into her arms and gave a quiet, uneasy whimper.

"Alright, what's knocking on my door?" Crazy Lace yelled. She noticed Lars now and tilted her head. "What in Stars name are you?"

Lars smiled. "I'm Lars of the Stars." he proclaimed.

Crazy Lace raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Yeah, I see..."

The sound of energy crackling turned everyone's focus toward the woods. The silence that followed was eerie and all held their breath. Basalt was standing on the other side of Lars, squinting into the darkness.

A vast shadow rose, shaped in the familiar form of White Diamond. Lars' eyes widened and the Off-Colors gave several frightened cries, their sounds piercing the silence.

"W-White Diamond!" Lars cried.

THAT turned the gems' attention to him now, disbelief on their faces.

"What? What are you talking about?" Crazy Lace snapped, "White Diamond's never come out this far before! Especially not to a pirate colony!"

The shadowy form's eyes were bright red. A wide, toothy grin stretched out across its face. Basalt squinted with a frown on her face.

"Wait...red eyes?" she whispered.

Crazy Lace looked down at her. "You know who she is?"

Basalt nodded, lips pursed with unease. "I have an idea..."

"Floodlights, now!" Crazy Lace ordered, waving one hand.

Immediately, the entirety of the woods was lit up by the floodlights lining the colony. The bright beams focused on a pale shape bearing the same appearance as White Diamond. She was hunched over somewhat, wielding a frightening scythe, but her eyes were wrong. The gem on her forehead looked wrong. She had bright red pools for eyes, the angular cut of her gem a smoky gray.

"That's not White Diamond," Basalt said, "That's a - "

None of the gems or aliens there seemed to comprehend the severity of the situation. The frightening being standing there grinned and Crazy Lace raised one hand.

"She wants a fight! She's getting one!" she shouted, "Fire!"

Basalt's eyes widened and the Off-Colors shut their ears when the cannons were fired. Round after round whistled through the air toward the malicious entity standing there. She didn't move, even as the blasts made contact around her, billowing the false, yet elegant robes she wore.

One blast from the cannon tore into her body, dispelling her arm into a kaleidoscope of colors.

As the smoke began to settle, the pirates watched with bated breath.

"Did we get her?" A Ruby cried.

"No one can take direct hits from my cannons," Crazy Lace said, with a smile of pride.

"Uh, Crazy Lace?"

The wary tone of an alien had their attention focused on the clearing smoke.

The gem standing there was missing her arm, which crackled with light and color. She tilted her head, grinning widely. It was almost with a wolfish, predatory delight. Sparkling light shot up from her torso before her hand began to reform once again.

"What?!" a jasper cried, frightened now. "That's not possible!"

The gem hissed with macabre glee and raised her scythe. She spun in several circles, charging the weapon with glowing white electricity before bringing the blade down. A surge of raw power funneled from the weapon as it contacted the earth, sending it right for the gems and aliens.

The resulting blast shattered the entire barricade, sent cannons flying and pirates. Fluorite quickly grabbed the other Off-Colors, Lars and Basalt as the force sent them flying through the air.

 _"Lars..."_

The gravely, cruel voice came from somewhere Lars didn't recognize, even moments before he lost conciousness.

O

When Lars awoke, it was to the feeling of Basalt's pats to his cheeks.

"Hey, hey kid," she said, "You still in there?"

The Off-Colors were circled around him and Lars struggled to regain his senses. He groaned and held his head before standing. Basalt helped him up and held out two hands.

"Take it easy," she suggested. "We're down in the escape tunnels. We're fine for now. Your fusion friend got us through that mess."

Fluorite smiled with a murmur in response.

Lars looked around, still dazed. "What... What happened?" he asked, "What was that? That wasn't White Diamond."

"Nope." Basalt told him. "THAT was a Schorl."

Lars blinked rapidly. "A what?"

Basalt sighed through her nose. "A Schorl. You may not know too much about them. They weren't around long before they had to be discontinued. Made by White Diamond herself."

Lars continued to look around; the tunnels were lit with intricate glowing stones of various colors. Still, he could make out the sounds of chaos above and it had him shuddering. The Off-Colors looked equally as frightened.

"Why were they discontinued?" Left Rutile asked, hoping to distract herself from the sounds.

Basalt shrugged her shoulders and looked at them. "Well, they had this way about them that made them unpleasant to deal with. You see, Schorl's were made to help gems combat the things they fear most. They can sometimes take the form of that fear. Unfortunately, this created a stigma of their gem type when in reality, a Schorl is driven to help. Not frighten."

Lars laughed bitingly. "Yeah, she really looked like she wanted to help us..."

"No, this one's different," Basalt continued, frowning thoughtfully, "Schorl's don't take the form of other gems without reason. Unless..." Her eyes widened. "Oh, Stars..."

Lars and the Off-Colors looked at one another, but followed Basalt through the tunnel. Lars wanted answers and tried ignoring the explosions above.

"Basalt, we need to do something!" he insisted. "That Schorl is going to tear the colony apart!"

"This tunnel leads to my workshop," Basalt explained, "I can get us up there. When we do, we'll see what's going on and work from there, okay?"

Lars nodded, uncertain. "Okay..."

O

A few grunts and Basalt managed to get the hatch open. She stepped into the vast workshop where several pirates were hiding away. Scowling, she put her hands on her hips as Lars and the Off-Colors stepped up from below.

"Now I KNOW none of you are planning on making off with my stuff while we have a Schorl tearing up our colony!" she snapped.

"What should we do?" a Ruby cried, holding her head in two hands. "She's going to shatter us all!"

"What does she even want? Why is she here?" a Topaz wondered, warily watching the window.

A few moments of silence passed before the gems looked toward Lars. He stared at each face before he held up two hands when they rose, slowly advancing on him. Immediately, the Off-Colors stepped at his side and Basalt also held out two hands.

"Wait, all of you relax," she ordered.

"Relax?!" Topaz cried, furious, "We had no trouble here until they came along! I heard Schorl say his name. If it's this...Lars she wants, then she can have him!"

Flurorite loomed over them now. "No. We will not let you." she said.

"I don't need a slapped-together pebble collection telling me what I will or won't do!"

Basalt scowled now, thrusting her hands in the air. "Enough!" she snapped. "Now, we're not getting anywhere with this!" She looked at the Topaz. "NO ONE is sending Lars out there to Schorl. Understood? And NO ONE is tucking tail and running because the Diamond Authority knocks down our door."

"We're not?" the Ruby asked, hesitantly.

"No, we're not." Basalt reminded her. "Stars, we defy the Authority and tell those Diamonds every day we're out here what we think of them. We're NOT giving them what they want. Do you understand?"

The gems looked at one another, working it through their heads what Basalt was telling them. But they still seemed reluctant.

"She keeps calling herself White Diamond," the Ruby finally continued, peering out the window.

Basalt looked at her now. "What?"

"White Diamond. If she's not, she really thinks she is."

Basalt looked at Lars gravely and he frowned at her. "Okay, you know something," he said, "What's Schorl's deal?

Basalt wandered to a shelf lined with various holodisks and recording devices. She ran her fingers over each one, murmuring thoughtfully while the others watched. The Jasper looked annoyed and sighed, thrusting her hands in the air.

"Hey, now's not the time to catch up on your reading!" she snapped.

"Will you please hush?" Basalt said, impatiently. "I think I have - Ah, here it is."

She removed a holodisk and held it up to Lars and the others. "When I repair ships, I sometimes work on a bartering system if my customers can't pay. They give me something of equal value. I got this First Era Prisoner Manifest from a lab technician escaping the war."

"Why?" Rhodonite asked.

"Sometimes you have to keep the past alive somehow..." Basalt replied, with a shrug.

She switched the holodisk on and a display of various gems was scrolled through. She stopped at one; a tall, eerily thin gem in black, hooded robes. Her face was partially hidden, save for a single red eye that stared out through ribbons of black hair.

"This is what a Schorl is supposed to look like," Basalt told them.

Right Rutile frowned. "So why does she look like White Diamond?"

"I have this horrible feeling that the Schorl out there was the same Schorl the technician told me about when she arrived," Basalt continued to explain. "She told me there was a Schorl on this manifest that had been returned to White Diamond for 'further tests'. Those tests - as I was told - were to strip Schorl of her identity."

The reactions in the workshop were a mix of confusion and horror.

"What? What do you mean?" Left Rutile asked.

Basalt scoffed. "What do you think it means?" she said, with a bite in her tone. "We know what she's capable of. We know the lengths the Diamonds - especially her - will go. And this Schorl? She's so lost in her own head, she may not come back from it."

Lars tapped his chin thoughtfully. He began to pace around the workshop. "Okay, I have an idea, but..." He grimaced. "It's REALLY crazy."

"Lars, you're not thinking what I think you're thinking..." Basalt said, frowning.

Padparadscha's hands suddenly went to her face. "Oh, my Stars! All of you, listen! That isn't White Diamond! That's Schorl!"

Lars glanced briefly down at her. "Exactly! I have a way to save both the colony and Schorl."

"Why would you want to save her?" Topaz demanded, "She's - "

"A victim, like all of us," Lars interrupted, "Look, I had a lot of growing up to do. I had someone show me who I had to be. I know that if we don't do something to try and help her, what better are we?"

The Off-Colors looked at each other briefly.

"What do you want us to do?" Fluorite asked.

Lars smiled. "It's me she wants, right? Well, I'll lead her away so you guys can get out of here." he told her. "Then, well..." He took a deep, uneasy inhale. "I'll improvise."

O

Lars carefully made his way outside, mumbling "I'm not afraid of Schorl..." under his breath.

"She's a victim like the rest of us..." he murmured, stepping around debris and broken shacks. "I gotta do this. I gotta...not be afraid."

He clutched the holodisk tightly to his chest and looked around for signs of Schorl. He didn't see anyone else, but a few shattered gem shards littered the dirt. Yelping, he tripped to avoid them and fell flat on his face.

In the distance, Schorl's eyes opened and flashed bright red at the sound. She slowly turned, grin wide and malicious.

"Lars..." snarling out his name like a hungry animal.

Rising, Lars looked up just in time to see Schorl approach, pushing several trees out of her way as she walked up to face him. He swallowed thickly, mumbling "I'm not scared" over and over. Schorl looked like an exactly duplicate of White Diamond.

The only difference was the gem color and her eyes.

"Found you!" Schorl hissed, gleefully.

Lars backed away, holding out two hands. "Look, look, listen!" he insisted, "I know... I know White Diamond did this to you - "

"I AM White Diamond!" Schorl snarled out, reaching for him.

Lars yelped and ducked out of her reach. He scattered from her heels and quickly ran deeper into the woods. Schorl turned, smiling with delight. She slowly stalked after him, the ends of her cloak billowing like rattling snake tails.

Meanwhile, the Off-Colors and Basalt were helping lead the remaining aliens and gems toward the docks where the ships had been kept, but were horrified to find them smoking and caught up in flames.

"Stars, what? The ships!" a gem cried.

Crazy Lace was clutching her arm, leaned against Fluorite. "Schorl doesn't intend to let us leave alive..." she groaned. Hissing once, she glanced back at the fusion. "Thank you for...you know..."

Fluorite smiled and nodded. "You're welcome."

The Off-Colors looked back at the woods and Rhodonite moaned, fearful. "What do we do now? Lars is going to be taken away! What do we - "

"Calm yourself, fusion," Basalt interrupted.

"Calm?!" Rhodonite cried, in disbelief. "How can you be so calm when Schorl clearly wants us all dead?!"

"I have a bit of faith in our strange little alien friend. You should do the same."

O

Lars hid behind a tree while Schorl scanned the forest for him. "Lars? Lars, don't hide from me," she purred, her throaty voice chilling. "You know it'll only be worse for you the longer you do."

Swallowing thickly, Lars peered over his shoulder and noticed that the back of Schorl's head had a strange red device attached to it. Frowning curiously, he tried to make sense of what it was; it looked almost like a button.

"Lars..." Schorl called again. "I'm growing impatient, Lars. Do you know what happens when I tire of these games?"

Lars looked down at the holodisk in his hand and pursed his lips. "Alright..." he whispered to himself, "You can do this. Be the hero they need..."

Schorl continued to look around the woods for him. For the moment, he was reminded of what had happened back on Homeworld when White Diamond had been chasing him and Steven. It had taken a long time for him to find courage after that.

Now, he had to find courage once again for more than just the Off-Colors.

Schorl turned when Lars stepped out from behind the tree. She smiled, pleased and turned the scythe in her hands.

"Have you chosen to surrender?" she asked. "Wise boy. I don't imagine you want to bear witness to the shattering of gem life any further."

"No, I don't," Lars told her, taking a shaking breath. "I'm not scared of you."

Schorl laughed somewhat. "Everyone has something they fear, child."

"What do you fear?"

"Nothing. I feel nothing. As it should be. As it will be for all of Homeworld." Schorl told him, "I am a Diamond of my word."

"But you're NOT White Diamond!" Lars insisted. "White - the REAL White Diamond - made you believe that!"

Schorl continued to smile widely. "Such strange things you speak. I am and always have been White Diamond."

Lars dropped the holodisk and it clattered to the ground, activating with the image of Schorl - in her true form. Schorl's eyes fell to the projection and she knelt down, retrieving it in her large hands. Lars warily watched her face; it was blank, studying the image without a single twitch in her expression.

"What's this?" she queried, "Someone else who escaped me, perhaps? Like Rose?"

"No, it's you!" Lars insisted.

Schorl looked at the holographic projection for the longest time. She furrowed her brow and gave a chuckle. "Nonsense. I - "

"It's YOU!" Lars interrupted. "What you're supposed to look like! White Diamond made you believe you were her! But it's wrong! She's wrong!"

Schorl continued to stare at the image. No reaction.

Slowly, her eyes began to widen.

Suddenly, the loud sound of a cannon firing resonated through the air and Schorl took a direct blast to the face. Lars looked over his shoulder with a shocked cry and noticed Crazy Lace crouched not too far away, arm cannon over her shoulder.

"I gotcha, you gem-forsaken monster!" she shouted, gleeful.

"DUDE!" Lars cried, "Are you nuts?!"

Schorl staggered backwards, almost losing her balance completely. Her head was smoking from the direct hit of the cannon. Lars watched her warily and she doubled forward. Spasming uncontrollably, Schorl gurgled and hissed.

The smoke cleared, revealing her face had been horribly disfigured in a terrifying mix of White Diamond and her real face. Lars grimaced and stepped backwards. She had dropped the holodisk to the ground and it clattered to his feet.

Lars seized when Schorl's lips formed a few soundless words before she gave an earth-shattering scream. Lars turned and ran toward Crazy Lace, taking her arm.

"What are you doing?!" he shouted, "I was getting through to her!"

Crazy Lace laughed angrily. "Yeah, well I got through to her better! I won't have this Homeworld beast tearing up my colo-"

She was cut off when Schorl's shadow loomed over her. Her triumphant smile drained from her face and Lars was knocked aside when Schorl seized the colony leader in her long, thin fingers. Lars gave a cry.

"Crazy Lace!"

The gem was brought up into the face of the twisted abberation and squirmed with every bit of strength she had. Schorl bared her teeth and raised her thumb against the gem's head. Lars quickly looked away when Crazy Lace was dispelled in a poof of blue smoke.

With a fierce grunt, Schorl crushed her hand tighter and Lars' eyes widened at the sight of gem shards raining from her grip.

Schorl lowered herself to his level, eyes flickering about in a disoriented manner. She seemed to focus on the holodisk of her image still displayed. It took a few moments before her form began to flicker wildly.

Groaning, she clutched her head in two hands and Lars watched as she struggled to adapt to her form; a flicker and she was White Diamond. Another flicker and she was Schorl.

White observed the entire scene from her chamber. She smiled, fascinated. "Incredible. You still resist me even at such an advanced stage." She raised her finger toward a red button on her console. "How fascinating indeed..."

O

Schorl screeched, clutching her head as a current of electricity surged through her form. Lars'e eyes widened and he stepped back to narrowly avoid being hit by the bolts of energy. She gave several strained cries, smashed her head into the ground over and over again before dragging her head through the dirt.

Lars watched helplessly, unsure of what to do.

When Schorl rolled to the side, Lars spotted the red button-like device on her neck. Acting quickly, he rushed up and grasped it with two hands. Grunting with effort, he pulled as hard as he could. Electricity crackled around him and Schorl screeched out again.

"...my fault...my fault..." she wailed.

Lars groaned out and yanked as hard as he could, tearing the device from Schorl's neck. She gave a loud gasp and seized moments as Lars tossed the device aside.

"Okay! Okay, I got it off," Lars panted. He rushed to the other side of her. "Are you okay? Hey - "

Schorl was lying still, her face morphing between White and her true face. She seemed to be staring through the human watching her before her form settled - the image she really was.

"S-Schorl?" Lars stammered, carefully.

Schorl mumbled somewhat before her eyes closed. "Th...Thank...you..."

Her eyes closed and in seconds, her form dispelled in a puff of gray-white smoke. Her gem laid at Lars' feet; a gray thing with blots of white stained in it. Lars bent down, picked it up and sighed.

"Sorry. Guess I couldn't help you as much as I wanted to," he told the gem.

Glancing over at the device, he scowled and walked up, kneeling in front of it. White watched him with a mixture of curiosity and amusement from the other side.

 _"Hey, are you watching, White Diamond?"_ Lars snapped, _"Because I got news for you, you didn't beat us today! You WON'T beat us ever!"_

White leaned back in her chair with a sound of pleasure. She touched the tips of her fingers together as she watched the strange little human from her monitors.

 _"This?"_ Lars held up the gem in view. _"All of these gems you hurt and torture, well, not on my watch! I'm gonna make sure no one else has to be hurt by you again!"_

White continued to smile.

 _"Show's over, Diamond,"_ Lars snapped, standing and stomping on the device, cutting off the connection completely.

White stood up and calmly strolled to another side of her chambers, passing an uneasy pearl. She took a deep breath and ran a finger across a holographic list of several more gems.

She brightened. "Show's over, child? Not so simple, I'm afraid."

O

 _Note -_ When Schorl/White Diamond shows up, the theme Kresnik from Trinity Blood inspired her arrival. The ending was inspired by the song "The Way I Do" by Bishop Briggs. The ost "Not My Fault" by Inon Zur was used as inspiration for Schorl struggling with her identity.


End file.
